Fire Island National Seashore's volunteer coordinator, Irene Rosen, provides an enticing overview of the VIP positions that are available in the park.

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Date: March 23, 2009
Contact: Paula Valentine, 631-687-4759
Contact: Irene Rosen, 631-687-4765
Contact: Wilderness Visitor Center, 631-281-3010

Patchogue, New York—Several new volunteer opportunities will start this summer at Fire Island National Seashore, including an invasive species monitoring project at the William Floyd Estate. You’re invited to learn about these positions and more during the park’s Volunteer in the Park (VIP) recruitment day on Saturday, March 28, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Seashore’s Wilderness Visitor Center. Located on Fire Island at the southernmost end of William Floyd Parkway, parking is available at Smith Point County Park, and the Wilderness Visitor Center is just a short stroll away down the beach.

Volunteers (VIPs) are a very important component of the visitor services that the National Park Service provides for almost three-quarters of a million people coming to Fire Island National Seashore each year. As a VIP, you may assist park rangers with many functions, such as operation of the visitor centers; you may assist resource management with the monitoring of endangered plants and animals species; you may help present school programs, children’s activities, Junior Ranger programs, and canoe tours; you can help staff a booth at special events, participate in special projects, and much more.

Volunteers must be at least 14 years old (with parental approval for anyone under age 18), and must be able to commit at least four hours per week for most positions. Volunteers are needed at the Fire Island Lighthouse, Sailors Haven, Watch Hill, Wilderness Visitor Center, and the William Floyd Estate.

For more information, registration or questions, contact the park’s VIP coordinator, Irene Rosen, at 631-687-4765.

For more information about Fire Island National Seashore, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/fiis.

Link to PDF version of this press release.

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